A Family & National Emergency

It was a rough and confusing day for me. My tooth hurts like hell, my head hurts worse and I am simply dumbfounded by the actions today of both Plaxico Burress and John McCain. No, Plaxico is not McCain's Republican running mate, some experienced politician from our country's most sparsely populated state is.

Plaxico was suspended for 2 weeks (1 game plus the Giants bye week) and docked 2 weeks pay ($235k) for insubordination. He skipped two days of practice and didn't tell the team about it because of what he says was a family emergency. After reading about 65 pages of his new "self serving" book "Giant" about his life, I totally know this excuse is complete crap. I forgive him though because he caught the game winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLII.

He could streak naked on meth through a crowd of nuns walking through Times Square and I would forgive him.

Equally confusing and bizarre to Plax's behavior was John McCain's call today for the Friday night debate to be postponed so both candidates could help solve the nation's financial crisis. This makes no sense to me? How exactly could these two senators help solve the nation's crisis? Are they are on banking committee?

What is going on with this guy? I could see a call for postponing the debates if they were scheduled on September 11, 2001 or if someone famous was assassinated or something, but this makes less sense than Plaxico's excuse ... What is he thinking?

I know these two men are separated by 200 years of age, but they are frankly very similar because of just how confusing they acted today.

Shockey to Miss 3-6 Weeks

I laughed out loud today when I heard that Saints TE Jeremy Shockey will miss 3-6 weeks after sports hernia surgery. Of course, he will. Thanks for the 2 draft picks, Saints.

Week 3 Rushing Blog

11:51 a.m. - Welcome back to the Week 3 Paperboy's Rushing Blog. I've got another fantasy dilemna today. Adrian Peterson vs. Ryan Grant. Normally this wouldn't be a question at all because Peterson is superior to Grant, but I heard that Peterson was limited in practice all week long. He's starting today, but has a hamstring injury.

11:54 a.m. - We had a bang up 60th Surprise Birthday party for my Dad. He was completely surprised. Before the party, I took him out to see Righteous Kill. I was the decoy basically. The movie was decent, but it had the same premise as Dexter. Guy kills bad people, so he thinks it's okay.

12:04 p.m. - I watched Meet Bill on Netflix Watch Instantly late last night and thought it was thoroughly entertaining.

12:07 p.m. - Ed Hocholi should not be suspended or fined or fired as just mentioned by the ridiculous huge Fox Pre-Game Show. The guy made a mistake, has apologized to EVERYONE and has taken enough guff this week. We should forgive him now. Even Chargers fans.

12:15 p.m. - I think I'm going with Peterson this week. He's active and playing today and that's good enough for me.

12:32 p.m. - I am so psyched to see Ironman on DVD on September 30th. I never saw it in the movie theaters because of scheduling issues, and totally can't wait to see it on DVD. A bunch of friends saw it and thought it was awesome. I might even buy it when it comes out. That's how excited I am.

12:53 p.m. - Another interesting matchup for the Giants. It has the same feel as last week's game against the Rams: Defending Super Bowl Champ vs. subpar early season team. The Giants players talked all week long about how they were not overlooking the 0-2 Bengals. I think that's definitely the case.

12:56 p.m. - God, I hope Troy Aikman and Joe Buck aren't doing the Giants-Bengals game today.

12:59 p.m. - I forgot the game was on CBS today. Thank God!

1:03 p.m. - Oh no! It's Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf! Hopefully they are better than Troy and Joe. Although they aren't great commentors. I like guys like Phil Simms, Gus Johnson and Jim Nance better.

1:14 p.m. - Great first stop by the Giants defense on the first drive by the Bengals. 2 sacks on the first drive. That's nice for my fantasy team.

1:20 p.m. - Eli and Toomer aren't on the same page for about the 10th time this season. I'm not sure what's going on with those two guys this season.

1:24 p.m. - I hate when commentors call players by their wrong name. Joe Gumbel... I mean Greg Gumbel calls Chris Perry... Chad Perry.

1:25 p.m. - Greg Gumbel apologizes for the error. I feel bad now.

1:31 p.m. - Nice stop on 3rd and Goal for the Giants defense on the 3 yard line. Shayne Graham makes a 22-yard FG, despite me dropping his ass from both of my fantasy teams last week. I hate that guy. 3-0 Bengals.

1:32 p.m. - For the first time in 71 minutes and 35 seconds (2 games and almost 1 quarter) the Giants are losing.

1:42 p.m. - Eli chucks a great 21 yard pass to Kevin Boss for his first catch of the season. I don't see Jeremy Shockey doing that for the Saints! Kidding.

1:45 p.m. - Brandon Jacobs rushes in for a 1 yard TD. On the play before, Eli threw a pass to fullback Madison Hedgecock and he was stopped at the 1. Eli's my fantasy QB again today on both teams. I'm upset that he didn't get this touchdown and it was instead a 1-run run by Jacobs. That's sick. 7-3 Giants.

1:50 p.m. - Kerry Collins is doing a good job of leading the Titans against the Texans today. To be honest, I didn't know this former Giant was still in the league.

1:56 p.m. - Chad...er Chris Perry runs 25 yards for a TD and the Giants defense looks pretty poor on that drive. 10-7 Bengals. Yikes.

1:59 p.m. - Excellent 40+ kickoff run back from Reuben Doughns to tear the momentum away from the Bengals.

2:02 p.m. - It's amazing how subpar Randy Moss is with a below average quarterback.

2:07 p.m. - Eli misses a touchdown pass to Plaxico by a toe. Carney knocks through a FG to tie the score, 10-10.

2:12 p.m. - My fantasy teams are performing so poorly today that I've turned off the score trackers for both games.

2:16 p.m. - The Giants secondary looks like crap today.

2:17 p.m. - Is it Chad Johnson or Chad Ocho Cinco? Gumbel and Dierdorf just called him Johnson after he clearly fumbled the ball on the 5 yard line. Plus it says Johnson on his jersey. What an embarassment.

2:22 p.m. - I love it how Shayne Graham has 2 FGs today when he only had 1 in the last 2 games. 13-10 Bengals.

2:28 p.m. - At the half it's still 13-10. The Giants offense and defense need to wake the hell up like they did last week against the Rams.

2:45 p.m. - There was a heated dispute at last night's party about Sarah Palin and Barack Obama. I don't believe John McCain was discussed. Is he running for President?

2:46 p.m. - While I'm excited about the Sept. 30th release of Iron Man, I think I'm more excited about the first presidential debate between Obama and McCain. Finally, America will have a chance to hear about the real issues. The question is do they care more about the issues that affect their lives or who they'd more like to have a beer with. How did that work out the last eight years?

2:48 p.m. - Brandon Jacobs honestly needs to learn how to catch the damn ball.

2:55 p.m. - I heard earlier this week that Microsoft is dropping its Seinfeld-Gates commercials. Thank God. They sucked.

2:59 p.m. - Nice punt return by Dominick Hixon. Eli needs to lead the Giants for some points on this drive.

3:00 p.m. - Ronnie Brown has 4 TDs today (3 running and 1 throwing) and he's sitting on my bench. It's not like I thought for a second to start him.

3:06 p.m. - Giants receivers are not catching the ball today as Plaxico drops another one. That's about the 4th or 5th drop today.

3:07 p.m. - John Carney knocks through a 46 yard FG after the referee misses a clear late hit on Eli. Tie ball game, 13-13.

3:07 p.m. and 30 seconds - I heard that Lawrence Tynes was warming up before the game today and is close to coming back as the Giants regular place kicker. I have no idea how they could let this happen. Carney is perfect so far as the Giants place kicker this season and I have no confidence that Tynes would have made the same kick that Carney just did.

3:15 p.m. - Domenick Hixon is really playing so well this season. 3 catches for 28 yards today plus some nice returns on special teams. I think he's the heir apparent to Amani Toomer.

3:17 p.m. - 5 TDs (or 37 fantasy points) by Ronnie Brown today. Damn. Honestly, I didn't think for a second about starting him. ...and frankly, I'm mad as hell about it.

3:20 p.m. - Did you hear about the Mentalist on CBS? What kind of a name for a show is that?!It's going to be on for 2 episodes before getting cancelled. Although, CBS doesn't cancel shows like Fox does. It just deals with the bad ratings.

3:25 p.m. - Earnest Graham has 8 carries for 1 yard today. Glad I started him!

3:28 p.m. - 26 yard FG by Carney. He remains perfect and old. 16-13 Giants.

3:40 p.m. - The Giants defense looks atrocious today. They are being totally exposed by short passes by the Bengals.

3:43 p.m. - T.J. Housh (I can't spell his name) scored and the Giants are down 20-16. That's rough...manzadeh.

3:44 p.m. - Shows you how much fantasy football "experts" know. A lot of them this week ranked Matt Cassel as the top QB starter this week. Late in the 4th, Cassel was just pulled in favor of Kevin O'Connell with the Patriots trailing 38-13. This is an unmitigated for Randy Moss.

I literally don't care about one of my fantasy teams any longer.

3:45 p.m. - Eli leads the Giants from the 31 yard line with 4:31 left in the game. Let's go Giants!

3:46 p.m. - Huge run by Derrick Ward gets the Giants to the Bengals 46 yard line.

3:47 p.m. - Finally a nice catch from Toomer to the 32.

3:49 p.m. - Clutch 3 and 10 catch by Steve Smith puts Giants on 18.

3:50 p.m. - Great 15 yard burst up the middle by Ward puts Giants on 3.

3:54 p.m. - 6 YARD TD PASS TO THE FORGOTTEN KEVIN BOSS! THAT'LL SHOW THE NY MEDIA. GIANTS UP 23-20. Eli does it again (helped by some nice running by Ward) going 69 yards in 2:41! !

3:59 p.m. - Greg Gumbel just called Carson Palmer ...Chad Palmer. He must have a love affair with Chad Ocho Cinco

4:00 p.m. - Giants defense needs a stop. Something they haven't done all day. 51 seconds left and the Bengals are driving again.

4:01 p.m. - I might throw up.

4:04 p.m. - The bane of my existence Shayne Graham to attempt a 20 yard FG.

4:05 p.m. - Graham makes it and the game is going into OT. Why couldn't he do that while he was on my fantasy team.

4:06 p.m. - Giants win the OT coin toss and the crowd goes wild!

4:07 p.m. - I'm as nervous as I was during Super Bowl 42.

4:08 p.m. - Eli and the Giants start OT from their own 20 yard line.

4:12 p.m. - Giants offense falls short on a 3rd and 6 and is forced to punt the ball. Can we please get a stop from the Giants defense??

4:15 p.m. - Great block by Sam Madison and the Giants get the ball back on their own 34 yard line.

4:17 p.m. - Big catch by Plax puts Giants at the Bengals 38 yard line.

4:20 p.m. - Eli stands in pocket amidst crazy pressure and Toomer makes his first good catch of the day.

4:20 p.m. - Carney comes out for the field goal and is iced by Bengals coach Marvin Lewis who calls a timeout.

4:22 p.m. - Carney knocks through a 22 yard field goal and Giants win, 26-23!

End of the game - This was a rough game. Sure, the Giants are 3-0. The defense played horrible...probably as bad as I've seen them play in a long, long time. Eli and the offense played well at the end of the 4th and in overtime to win. Thankfully the team has a bye next week so they can work out some of their kinks.

I'm going to throw up now.

My Yankee Stadium Memories

It seems like every sports radio talk show this past week has had callers call in to talk about their memories of Yankees Stadium. So I thought I’d join the funeral and share my thoughts. There are so many memories that I have of games at Yankees Stadium, but for this blog, I’ll only share my top 5 moments when I was actually in attendance at the game.

#5: Watching Joba Chamberlain’s 2nd major league start against the Royals – In the grand scheme of things it was an insignificant game during the season, but I’ll never forget this game because it was Joba’s 2nd major league start and I think he’s the true No. 1 starter for the future Yankees.

#4 - Don Mattingly’s 200th career homerun. Believe it or not, I was at the Stadium for Don Mattingly’s 200th career homerun. Mattingly hit a blast to right center and when it was posted on the screen, the Yankees rose to their feet. In the next instance Danny Tartabull hit a homerun and the Stadium’s noise level ramped up to another level.

#3 1996 Opening Day – There’s an entire, long story that goes behind this game to how I surprised my dad with opening day tickets to how it snowed – yes snowed in April – for the entire game. It was effectively the start of the Yankees’ latest dynasty and a game I’ll never forget because it was one of the many I spent with my dad.

#2 – My first game at Yankees stadium in 1987 against the Minnesota Twins – As so many early childhood memories are, this one is hazy, but I do remember walking out and seeing the Yankees Stadium field for the first time. It was something magical. And I’ve gotten the same exact feeling every time since.

#1: I was at Yankees Stadium in the left field bleachers for Aaron Boone’s 11th inning solo homerun off Tim Wakefield in Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series. I’ve blogged about this moment countless times before so I won’t bore you. I’ll just say again it was the loudest and brightest I’ve ever seen Yankees Stadium. It was also probably the loudest and brightest experience of my life.

I look forward to making new memories at the new Yankee Stadium – if I can afford a ticket – but I’ll never forget these memories.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy 60th Birthday to my dad!

I can't believe we're both so old!

Things Heard During the Cowboys-Eagles Pre-Game

Things heard - or not - during the Cowboys-Eagles Pre-Game Show on ESPN:

Stuart Scott: These are the two best teams in the NFC East even though both teams haven't won the Super Bowl in the past 10 years.

Chris Berman: Eagles fans are the most patient fans in the NFL.

Steve Young: Tony Romo is the best QB in the NFL never to have won a playoff game.

Emmit Smith: Isn't Tony Romo so dreamy?

Ron Jaworski: Did you hear that Jessica Simpson caught Terrell Owens making out with "his quarterback" and "his teammate" Tony Romo?

........................................................................................................................................................

It sickens me that both the Eagles and Cowboys are getting more coverage/credit this year than are the Giants. Both teams haven't won anything and they are already being christened as two of the best teams in the league. That's ridiculous.

24 is Coming Back!

After a 1 1/2 year hiatus, my favorite show is coming back! Last night, I saw a 2 minute preview of Season 7 of 24, which comes out in November, and am psyched.

Season 7 takes place an entirely new location. I think it's somewhere in Africa, but I don't have solid details on that; at least it's not in Los Angeles. After the horrible Season 6 debacle, the show needed to shake itself up. I even stopped watching it (depending on your perspective) halfway through the day - if you Jack Bauer - and halfway through the season - if you're the American viewing audience.

I totally foggy on details, but it involves Jack Bauer getting tortured and shooting people all while screaming damnit 500 times during the day. It's just a typical day for Jack Bauer.

Week 2: Paperboy's Rushing Blog

Back by popular demand, it's the Paperboy's Rushing Blog. ...I really don't like the name of the blog though, so if you have any suggestions, let me know. ...Also, the wife suggested changing the format of my posts so people can read from top to bottom, so I've changed it.

12:10 p.m. - Welcome back...Last week was easy for me to handle this blog while I was watching/commenting on the game and related commercials, because I didn't need to deal with looking at the progress of my two fantasy teams. So, this rushing blog could definitely suffer this week as I try to keep up with everything -- usually what happens when you are spread too thin is that you don't end up enjoying or devoting enough time to ANYTHING.

12:16 p.m. - Last week, I made the bad choice of selecting Carson Palmer as the starting QB on both of my fantasy teams over Eli Manning. I ended up winning in both leagues, but gave up 10 or so points on each team. This week, my lineup on my Road Warriors team is set. I'm having some difficulty though, selecting a guy for the RB/WR position on my The Paperboy team. It's between Ryan Grant - who has an easy opponent in the Lions and a banged up hamstring - or Chris Johnson who is facing the Bengals and had an awesome Week one. I'm leaning toward starting Chris Johnson because Grant's injury will most likely limit him. Will this last minute decision come back to bite me - AGAIN? We shall see. I have another 30+ minutes to decide for sure.

12:29 p.m. - Chris Johnson is the selection. Wish me luck!

12:35 p.m. - The wife and I are watching a True Blood-Lines: A New Type. It's an interesting take on how vampires have been shown in popular culture. This show is an extra for the new HBO show True Blood...a campy and awesome new show about vampires.

12:52 p.m. - It'll be interesting to see today how the Giants play after a 10 day layoff. It feels like it has been forever since they played the Redskins on Opening Night. Hopefully there's not a letdown from the Super Bowl Champs.

12:56 p.m. - Why do I have to hear Joe Buck and Troy Aikman do another Giants game. I really hate these guys. Buck needs to stick to calling baseball games - where he does much better play-by-play....and Troy Aikman should just stick to sucking.

1:05 p.m. - Oh, by the way. I'm starting Eli over Palmer on both of my teams today. It's going to turn out good for me this week. I just know it!

1:11 p.m. - The Rams have an offensive lineman named Richie Incognito. I wonder if he gets noticed a lot.

1:14 p.m. - Right now, I'm typing this blog entry, eating cheese and crackers, watching the Giants-Rams game, watching the Bengals-Titans game on ESPN GameCast and keeping track of the scores of both my fantasy teams. On one hand, you could consider me to be a good multi-tasker...and on the other hand you could say I have Attention Deficit Disorder.

1:20 p.m. - Wow, what an awesome touchdown pass by Eli Manning! He felt the pressure, stepped up in the pocket and lofted a sweet 33-yard TD pass to Plaxico Burress. Last year in the regular season, Eli would have never felt that pressure and would have taken a sack and probably would have fumbled the ball. 7-0 Giants.

1:25 p.m. - Near the end of the first quarter, Ryan Grant has 5 carries for 4 yards and Chris Johnson has 4 carries for 3 yards. Damn, I knew I should have started Grant. Kidding...

1:31 p.m. - Whose idea was it to put together these annoying and long Bill Gates-Jerry Seinfeld "normal people" commercials. They are horrible.

1:40 p.m. - 3 and 2 for the Rams from 32 yard line and Danny Clark makes a nice stop to drop the Rams back. 54 Yard Field Goal try is still good. Damn. Giants 7-3.

1:52 p.m. - Eli is throwing down the field a lot today, but for some reason the Giants call a running play on 3rd and 9. It leads to a 39 yard field goal attempt by my grandfather John Carney and it is GOOD just insides the upright! 10-3 Giants.

2:02 p.m. - Giants offense takes the field again after a nice stop by the defense. About 6 minutes left in the half. Another score by the Giants offense before the end of the half would be nice.

2:08 p.m. - Right after they allow the Rams to convert a 3rd and 17, Antonio Pierce bursts through the middle untouched and gets the 4th Giants sack.

2:10 p.m. - Rams line up for another 54 yard Field Goal attempt and Coach Scott Linehan tries to ice his own kicker by letting the clock run down to the 2 minute warning.

2:13 p.m. - Unfortunately, Linehan's strategy (my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek) doesn't work and the Rams cut the score to 10-6.

2:14 p.m. - Troy Aikman criticizes the Giants for beating the Redskins. Apparently they didn't win by enough points last week.

2:16 p.m. - With 2 minutes left in the half the Giants break out the no huddle offense. An offense that Eli succeeds with consistently.

2:18 p.m. - Giants are driving toward the goal line led by some nice 10 yard passes by Eli and runs by Derrick Ward.

2:21 p.m. - 33 yard try by Carney is good. I love this guy. He's perfect so far as the Giants kicker. Can we put Lawrence Tynes on the injured reserve this season? 13-6 Giants.

2:23 p.m. - The half ends and Joe Buck again gives the Giants a nice backhand by saying that the score is closer than anyone expected. Thanks Joe. I don't think anyone expected the Rams kicker to hit two 54 yard FGs either. The Rams haven't done anything today except hit those two LONG field goals. They benefited from one big 3rd and 17 yard play and a 15 yard facemask penalty on Justin Tuck. Other than that, they haven't been great. The Giants offense has stalled during various parts of the game and Eli hasn't succeeded at throwing the ball more than 30 yards down the field. That's not his strength. I know the Rams secondary is suspect, but the team should totally stick with what is working in this game and has worked in the past.

2:25 p.m. - Fox has entirely too many people on their half time show. There's Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson and Michael Strahan. I think Strahan needs to unretire from football.

2:28 p.m. - At the half, Ryan Grant has 9 carries for 12 yards. His coach said before the game that he'll only get about 15 carries this game. Chris Johnson has 8 carries for 67 yards - highlighted by a 51 yard scamper near the end of the half. I think I made the right choice.

2:32 p.m. - Adrian Peterson, who has the pleasure of being on The Paperboy team -- and also the displeasure of being on the real life Vikings -- has 118 yards rushing in the first half of the game against the Colts. This guy is totally sick. The Vikings shouldn't even throw the ball.

2:42 p.m. - I have New Orleans against the Redskins in my one free survivor football and the Saints are only up 10-9 at the end. Yeesh!

2:46 p.m. - Nice 30 yard run by Brandon Jacobs. As I was cheering for his run, I thought in the back of my mind - "Shit, the guy that I am playing in fantasy this week has Jacobs in his lineup." That's sick.

2:54 p.m. - Great play-action Touchdown...Manning to Toomer. Excellent throw. Excellent catch. 20-6 Giants.

2:58 p.m. - Eli's older brother - you might have heard of him - Peyton and his Colts are really playing poorly this season. They got surprised by the Chicago Bears in Week 1 and are losing to the Minnesota Vikings - 15-0 late in the 3rd Quarter. That's a shock.

3:04 p.m. - It's a bad sign when Joe Buck tells you that the Rams punter has been a bright spot for the Rams today.

3:13 p.m. - Troy Aikman makes another stupid comment and I continue to hate him. The question is did I hate him more as the Cowboys QB in the 90s or as his current stint as Fox's "top" color commentator.

3:15 p.m. - I have the answer. I respected him as the Cowboys QB. I despise him now in his role as Fox's most biased color commentator.

3:20 p.m. - Aikman is clearly rooting for the Rams today. He just sighed when Marc Bulger overthrew a wide open Dane Looker.

3:26 p.m. - Torry Holt catches a B.S. touchdown that bounces off his chest when he's on the ground. The referees figure its a touchdown and call it so. The Giants don't have it reviewed. That pisses me off. 20-13 Giants. Joe Buck reminds us again that he thinks the Giants suck.

3:33 p.m. - I watched Fringe last week on Fox and thought it definitely was an interesting new show. Let's hope Fox doesn't cancel it just as I'm getting into it. I'm still bitter about them cancelling Drive from a couple seasons ago.

3:37 p.m. - I really like Ahmad Bradshaw. He runs with a full head of steam and reminds me a lot of Tiki Barber.

3:40 p.m. - Bradshaw scores on a 20 yard TD pass from Eli. 3 TDs from Eli today. Nice score by Bradshaw, 26-13 Giants.

3:45 p.m. - The Rams have literally been in 3rd and more than 10 yards six or seven times today. They've scored on two 54 yard FGs and a questionable, a bobbling TD pass that wasn't reviewed by the Giants. They are hideous. I think their coach Scott Linehan is the first on the chopping block this season.

3:46 p.m. - Speaking of hideous: Have you seen Carson Palmer's numbers today. 134 yards passing and 2 Interceptions. That's 1 fantasy point for those counting at home. Eli's got more than 25 fantasy points. Nice!

3:45 p.m. - Great athletic batted ball/interception by Justin Tuck. He runs it back 42 yards for a touchdown. 34-13 Giants.

3:45 p.m. and 30 seconds: Did I mention the Giants defense is on both my fantasy teams?

3:55 p.m. - Nice 32 yard TD run for Bradshaw. 41-13 Giants. Are the Giants a good team now Troy and Joe?

4:00 p.m. - Who will get fired first? Scott Linehan or Raiders coach Lane Kiffin?

4:03 p.m. - 15 carries for 20 yards for Ryan Grant and 19 carries for 109 yards for Chris Johnson. I thankfully made the right choice.

4:05 p.m. - 20 of 29 for 260 yards, 3 TDs and a 131.4 passer rating for Eli. Giants offense and defense played a great game. They started slow and probably kept the inept Rams in the game for too long. But in the 2nd half they played really well and ended up winning 41-13.

That's it for now guys and girls. Thanks for reading. Sign up as a follower of my site on the top right handed corner. Thanks.

9-11-01

Will it always feel like September 11, 2001 just happened yesterday?

It didn't though.

It happened seven years ago today.

I can’t remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday, but the memories from that day seven years ago are still so fresh in my mind.

I wrote a blog about it last year where I shared my experiences from that day so I won’t rehash my thoughts again here. If I did, I’d probably write the same exact thing I wrote last year.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget that day.

I finally did watch a September 11th related movie – United 93 – a few months ago (I think I blogged about it) and it was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to watch. I never thought that I would watch a movie about the events that day. But I finally did.

I finally let myself relive part of that day …even though it wasn’t from the same perspective as the one that I have in my head. Maybe that was a step in the right direction of me moving on.

When will September 11th just be a normal day again?

Lipstick on a Hottie

Good for Barack Obama! Finally a Democrat stands up to a Republican and doesn't run away with his tail between his legs!

I was disgusted to hear this morning that the McCain campaign is making a big deal out of Obama's comment that he was referring to Palin when he used the phrase "lipstick on a pig" at a speech on Tuesday.

When the McCain Camp claimed outage, Obama shot back - unlike anything that John Kerry, Al Gore or any other Dem had done in the past -- saying: "I don't care what they say about me. But I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies and phony outrage and Swift-boat politics. Enough is enough," he said.

Good for you Barack!

I'm tired of the "fake" controversies that Republicans have been spinning for years to win elections. They should be talking about real issues that affect real Americans. Like the fact that paying for health insurance at my company is just as expensive as paying for Cobra coverage. That's B.S.!

Plus, Sarah Palin isn't close to being a pig. She's a full fledged hottie who faked her own pregnancy, believes in Alaska seceding from the union and believes in building bridges to nowhere until it's deemed a bad idea by the rest of the country.

Congrats Matt and Kate!!

My buddy Matt and his wife Kate - who just happens to also be my wife's cousin - gave birth to a brand spanking new baby boy this afternoon around 5 p.m.

Ben Drake Chiller entered the world today at a healthy 6 lbs, 5 oz - or about the same weight as Tom Brady's new metal knee.

Matt is a huge Boston fan and I lived with the guy for 7 years before we moved on and ended up marrying our wives. Congrats buddy! My best to you, Kate and your new baby boy!!

Karma's a Bitch

Maybe Earl Hickey from My Name is Earl was on to something when he said: "You know the kind of guy who does nothing but bad things, and then wonders why his life sucks? Well... that was me. Every time something good happened to me, something bad was always waiting around the corner. Karma. That's when I realized I had to change. So, I made a list of everything bad I've ever done and, one by one I'm going to make up for all my mistakes. I'm just trying to be a better person. My name is Earl."

I'm sure Mr. Brady and Mr. Belicheat were thinking about karma yesterday as Brady went down for the season in Week 1 with a torn ACL.

After last year's Spygate controversy, it just shows you that the karma gods sure have a wicked sense of humor.

Paperboy's Rushing Blog - Giants vs. Redskins

Welcome to the inaugural edition of "Paperboy's Rushing - Not Running Blog"!

It's the Giants' first game of the season against the Washington Redskins as they attempt to valiantly defend their Super Bowl XLII Championship.

Hopefully the blog and game is not too boring. I'll try to sprinkle in some non-football-related off color humor. ... Start from the bottom and read up...like you're reading chinese.

10:04 p.m. - The Republican National Convention is starting. I'm not watching it. Let me know if McCain croaks.

End of the game - The Giants played just well enough to win tonight. In the beginning of the game, they had four strong drives, all of which should have ended in TDs (only one did). Eli had a so-so game. Plax and Jacobs both were strong. The Redskins simply played atrocious and were stymied by the Giants defense for most of the night. The only reason they scored on the defense was because of the nice kickoff return near the end of the 1st half by Rock CARTWRIGHT 4!!

10:03 p.m. - Game ends and Giants win 16-7!!

9:53 p.m. - Jacobs carries 3 Redskins players 4 yards to nearly get a game clinching first down for the Giants. It's now 4th and inches. Up two scores, Coughlin makes the smart decision to punt.

9:51 p.m. - I heard John McCain and John Carney attended an AARP meeting together last week.

9:45 p.m. - Nice stop by Kenny Phillips on 3 and 17 with 2:09 left in the game. This kid has been all over the place tonight and is going to be a special player.

9:40 p.m. - Chris Cooley just made his first catch of the game with 3:39 left in the game. That's ridiculous considering that he's thought of as one of the top TE's in the game. It sure shows you to look at the quality of the team's QB when you are drafting a WR or TE.

9:39 p.m. - Giants defense needs to come up with a big stop here to seal the game. People everywhere - I was not one of them - who took the Giants and gave 4 points are pooping in their pants right now.

9:33 p.m. - Eli's had a few ill advised passes tonight. Overall, he's been decent, but not great. Maybe Carson Palmer will validate my decision to start him over Eli this Sunday. Still, I can't complain. He was the Super Bowl XLII MVP. Did you hear?

9:30 p.m. - The Giants start another offensive drive with about 9 minutes left in the game. They need to close it out right here.

9:29 p.m. - The writers of Unlawful Entry need to sue the writers of Lakeview Terrace for copywriter infringement. The movies look exactly the same.

9:28 - Pete Kendall just ripped off Antonio Pierce's helmet and head butted him when his helmet was off. I have no idea how that wasn't a penalty on the Redskins.

9:15 p.m. - The 3rd quarter ends with the score the same: 16-7 Giants.

I think this running blog is getting too long. I'm losing fans in droves...I'll pause for 10 minutes (or more) unless something amazing happens or I come up with a witty comment...both of which are entirely possible.

9:12 p.m. - I heard John McCain just got up from his nap and put his dentures in.
9:10 p.m. - Another Heroes preview. This one was different than the first. Wow, I am psyched for this season!

9:03 p.m. - The Giants defense is just dominating tonight. Another 4 and out for the Redskins offense.

9:02 p.m. - Bad interception by Eli as he is rushed and throws off his back foot. Damn.

8:58 p.m. - I think they've run out of names for movies. But I've thought that for the past 5-6 years.

8:57 p.m. - Ditto for Righteous Kill.

8:53 p.m. - I'm kinda interested in seeing Eagle Eye.

8:51 p.m. - Jason Taylor tries to sack Eli Manning and instead Eli gets rid of the ball first and Taylor instead spins him like he's on Dancing with the Stars again.
8:41 p.m. - The second half starts. Let's hope that the Skins didn't take the momentum with that late first half drive.

8:35 p.m. - Some dude named Chuck Todd is talking about the Republican Convention. I hate people with two first names.

8:33 p.m. - Bob Costas looks rough. I think he's still on Beijing time.

8:29 p.m. and 30 seconds - Back to Back Eli commercials! This one is about that dumb Oreo playoff thingie. I hate those commericals.

8:29 p.m. - Great Eli-Toyota Commercial where he's buying a car and his salesman walks away and Eli seens on the guy's computer screen that he's trading him from his fantasy team. The salesman returns and hilarity ensues. ...

8:28 p.m. - Good first half for the Giants. Nice command by Eli. Solid first half by Plax and definitely a great job by the defense.

8:27 p.m. - Santana Moss scores on a wide open pass and the Redskins cut the Giants lead, 16-7 Giants.

8:19 p.m. - Nice kick return from some named Rock Cartwight. Everytime I hear that name, I scream out loud CARTWRIGHT 4!!....from Seinfeld fame...from a time when Jerry wasn't doing 10 minute Microsoft commercials.

8:18 p.m. - That was a hideous, non sensical, 10 minute Microsoft commercial with Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld.

8:16 p.m. - 47 yard FG goal from John Carney!! This guy just outkicked his age!! 16-0 Giants.

8:08 p.m. - I just convulsed after watching the preview for Season 3 of Heroes. I'm so excited for it. I can say convulsed right? I had a few seizures as a child so that makes it okay, right?

8:07 p.m. - I hate these crappy Coors Light commercials where they do those fake Coors Light press conferences using football coaches quotes from real press conferences. Shitty commercials. Shitty beer.

8:02 p.m. - Did you know that Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared in 42 movies as an actor? I had no idea. (I found that out when I was looking up the name of True Lies.)

8:02 p.m. - I'm definitely giving this new Christian Slater TV show My Own Worst Enemy a try this season. Stupid title for a show and it's a premise that has kinda been done before. ... Kinda part Bourne Identity, part True Lies. But I'll give it a shot.

8 p.m. - They grew another leg for Carney and he knocks through a 25 yard FG and then walks off the field with the assistance of a walker. 13-0 Giants.

7:56 p.m. - Another great juggling catch for Plax. 5 catches for 84 yards. He's earning his new contract.

7:53 p.m. - Isn't tonight's 1o p.m. speech way past John McCain's bedtime? That's about 4 hours past the time that he usually goes to sleep or about 1 hour before vampiress Cindy McCain opens up her coffin to look for blood.

7:51 p.m. - I may be a mean, heartless bastard, but I think the "GU" patch on the player's uniforms to celebrate the life of Gene Upshaw, former NFL player and president of Players Association is WAY too big. It's like the size of a coffee saucer!!

7:48 p.m. - Nice first quarter for the G-men. 10 points and 1 first down -- because of the personal foul penalty -- and NO POINTS for the Washington For...I mean...Red....skins.

7:42 p.m. - A great 2nd drive stop by the Giants defense is negated by a dumb personal foul penalty by new Giant Jerome McDougle. I can't even spell his name. That's how new he is.

7:37 p.m. - 44-year-old John Carney knocks through a 24 yard FG for the Giants. His leg then disintegrates. 10-0 Giants.

7:33 p.m. - Jacobs just ran over Redskin Laron Landry. Landry promptly asks a guy on the sideline when did they start letting Mac Trucks into football games.

7:31 p.m. - Brandon Jacobs can't catch a pass for shit. He's dropped or missed three passes from Manning so far tonight. That's going to be a problem this year again.

7:27 p.m. - Great way to start out the season for the Giants defense that everyone ripped after Osi's season ending injury. On the first offensive play of the Redskins' drive, Justin Tuck beats a double team and rips down Jason Campbell down by the front of his jersey.

7:22 p.m. and 1 second - 68 passing yards and one rushing TD on the first drive. That's 8 Fantasy Points. Damn, I should have started Eli.

7:22 p.m. -Great first drive of the season by the Giants sees Eli running a bootleg into the endzone for a touchdown. I think he had 1 running TD last year and that was in rainy London. What a great way to start the season. 7-0 Giants.

7:02 p.m. - Awesome introduction of the Super Bowl Champs before the game by retired Giant Michael Strahan.

6:59 p.m. - One minute before the fantasy lineup deadline, I decide to stick with Carson Palmer as my starting QB this week. I have a feeling that it could be a mistake.

6:55 p.m. - Just found out that Plaxico Burress signed a two-year contract extension making his total contract 5 years for $35 million. Good for him. Now, he won't be a distraction this season. Probably the best thing to happen for the team this offseason.

6:45 p.m. - I've been debating for the past 2 hours whether or not I should start Eli Manning over Carson Palmer tonight. I'm always wrong in my picks so I'm flip flopping quicker than John Kerry.

6:40 p.m. - I listened to Chris Russo - The Mad Dog - for 5 minutes or so on XM's Sports Nation - Channel 144 - and thought he was the typical annoying Mad Dog. I probably will listen to him sometimes, but like a child living with one of his divorced parents a majority of the time, I'll probably spend more time with Mike Francesca.

6:35 p.m. - Here goes: The start of the inaugural edition of the "Paperboy Rushing - Not Running - Blog"...

How About Some Respect?

No one is giving any respect to the Super Bowl XLII Champions.

The Patriots lost the Super Bowl, the Giants didn't win it. ...

The Giants had one good month last year and got hot at the right time...

The Giants lost Jeremy Shockey (the malcontent to the Saints), Michael Strahan (to retirement), Osi Umeniyora (to injury) and because of that they have no chance to even make the playoffs this year. ...

The Cowboys are God's greatest gift to football. ...

Even the Eagles will be better than the Giants this year. ...

The new look, Jim Zorn Redskins are going to give the Giants fits tonight. ...

That's what I'm hearing and it's ridiculous that no one respects the Super Bowl champs. I don't understand it one bit.

Sure the loss of Osi is huge, but it's not the end of the world. The offense is back and better than ever. And I think that the team stands a good chance to go 11-5 this year.

Whenever this team is disrespected they outperform. It sure looks like they are getting disrespected this year and for that reason I think we're headed toward another great year. I'm not talking about repeating as champions, but I really believe that they will at least make the playoffs.

Go Giants!!

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife who turns 30 today. I love you babe!

Entertain Me...

We've got a little different Entertain Me this time around.

Instead of just being entertained this past week by movies, TV and games reviews, I was entertained by some live, action entertainment.

Wicked - For the wife's 30th Birthday - happy birthday baby - we went into NYC to see the much heralded and ballyhooed Wicked on Broadway.

Overall, I thought it was great.

It was slow in parts and I think they tried to tie it too much to where the scarecrow, tin man and cowardly lion came from, but I liked it a lot.

The wife thought I was falling asleep in parts, but I was definitely not.

It kept me entertained throughout and I would recommend it to anyone.

Tropic Thunder - I finally got around to seeing Tropic Thunder and in typical paperboy fashion, I was underwhelmed by it.

I thought it was funny, don't get me wrong, but I didn't think it was that funny.

I would rent it, but not spend money to see it in the movie theater. Few movies these days are movie theater worthy anyway.

Mercenaries 2 - Speaking of being underwhelmed...

I loved the first Mercenaries game on the original XBox when it came out 4 or so years ago, so I was really looking forward to Mercs 2.

Well, two days after I bought it, I already put it up for sale on eBay.

The game overall is okay, but the enemies are so dumb that it makes the game so boring to play. I've played it for a couple hours and don't feel like wasting my time any further.